Accra, Jan. 25, GNA- Water supply at Teshie-Nungua in Accra is said to have improved after operators of the Teshie Desalination Plant resumed work some 15 months ago.
The Plant, which was shut down for about a year over some technical and operational challenges, resumed operation in March 2020.
Some residents told the Ghana News Agency in random interviews that the shutdown of the Plant badly affected water supply in the area for about a year and happy the situation was getting better.
They said prior to the resumption of work by the Plant, they accessed water twice in a week.
“We used to get water on Mondays and Thursday and sometimes during the weekends. There were occasions that we did not get water for a whole week. But from last year, the tap flows every day,” Mary Adjeley, a resident of Nungua-Brigade said.
Another resident, Elvis Darko, said: “For us at Teshie Nungua Estates, we did not have problem with water supply when the Plant was shut down. The water pressure was very low then, but the situation has improved now.”
Some residents said they had observed that the quality of water had improved now than it was previously.
“Previously, the water was too salty, and we could not use it to wash. Now I can use it to wash, but because it is sourced from the sea, I do not feel comfortable drinking it, except for cooking,” Rose Nortey, a shopkeeper said.
Meanwhile, some residents of Nungua-Nautical said they had been experiencing interrupted water supply since last month.
“Until last week, we did not have water for more than a week, but our neighbours in other parts of Nungua had water. We don’t know if there is a problem with our lines,” Beatrice Nyarko, a resident of Nungua-Nautical said.
When the GNA visited the Desalination Plant site at Teshie on Tuesday, it found that the Plant was in operation.
A source at the site said the Plant had not suffered any breakdown “for a very long time.”
“We have been operating smoothly for a very long time now. Even throughout the holidays, we came to work,” the source said.
The source was, however, not in the position to know whether the Plant was operating at full capacity.
When the Plant resumed operations in March 2020, the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) directed the operators of the Plant to operate at full capacity to help improve the water supply situation in the country.
As of March, 2020, the Plant produced an average of 40,000 cubic metres of water daily instead of the overall capacity of 60,000 cubic metres a day.
The Teshie Desalination Plant Agreement was signed between the GWCL and Befessa, owners of the Plant, on a build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis in February 2011.
The Plant was built in February 2015 to address water supply shortfalls, particularly in the Teshie-Nungua area.
The Public Utility Workers Union (PUWU), in 2015, raised red flags about the operations of the Plant, indicating that it would be a major drain on the coffers of the GWCL.
In two separate petitions to the Government in 2015 and 2019, the Union said the GWCL bought water from the Plant at GH¢6.75 per cubic metre, which was against the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission’s (PURC) approved tariff for water, which was GH¢1.47 per cubic metre.
The GWCL in collaboration with the (PURC), in 2018, began a renegotiation process with operators of the Plant to minimise the cost of production at the Plant.
The terms of the negotiations were not disclosed by the GWCL.
GNA